Supplements
by lawless523
Summary: Taking so many pills makes Eiri feel old. A sequel of sorts to "Doctor, Doctor". One-shot, complete.


**_Disclaimer:_** It's Maki Murakami's sandbox; I just play in it. I do not own the rights to iGravitation/i or its characters nor do I make any money from them. No copyright or other infringement is intended.  
**_Rating/Warnings:_** T for mild profanity and a reference to m/m sex.  
**_Summary: _** Taking so many pills makes Eiri feel old. A sequel (of sorts) to "Doctor, Doctor".

Written for LiveJournal's 30_kisses themed writing challenge community. Theme: #28, Wada calcium

_**Supplements**_

"Didja take your medicine yet?" Shuichi yelled from the bathroom as he readied himself for work.

"Of course," Eiri shouted back from his seat at the kitchen table while he hastily unscrewed one of those ridiculous adultproof caps that were advertised as childproof and popped the pills into his mouth in order to wash them down before Shuichi could discover his duplicity. Damn it, he didn't have anything to wash it down with but coffee. He'd already learned that hot beverages and his medication didn't mix well.

He rose and snuck over to the sink as stealthily as he could, but somehow Shuichi could tell he had turned the water on; when he'd turned the faucet off and returned to his seat while swallowing the pills, he heard Shuichi say, "I heard that, you big fat lying liar."

EIri snorted... He might be tall, but he was only big where it counted and he certainly wasn't fat. The fact that he was a lying liar was immaterial.

Shuichi poked his head out of the bathroom. "Didja take your nutritional supplements too?"

"No," Eiri said, frustrated. "It's bad enough that I have to remember to take mood stabilizers and stomach medicine every single day of my life. I don't want to have to remember to take any more pills."

Shuichi smiled brightly. "But that's what you have me for!"

Eiri huffed. "I take that back. What I _meant_ was that I don't want to have to take any more pills. I'm sick and tired of it. It makes me feel old and like I'm falling apart."

Shuichi walked into the kitchen, leaned over, and wrapped his arms around Eiri's neck. "But you told me that you took pills you shouldn't have when you were a teenager. What's the difference?"

"Then I took them for the thrill," Eiri said, somewhat sullenly. "Now I'm taking them because I'm told to. It's not the same thing."

"But Eiiiri!" Shuichi wailed. "The doctor _said_ you need to take CoQ10, B complex, and calcium pills to stay healthy!"

Such a loud voice right next to his ear caused Eiri to grimace. He not-so-gently pushed Shuichi away after breaking his hold on Eiri's neck.

"Seems like a lot of bullshit to me," Eiri said. "I mean, who makes money from these things anyway? The corporations that make the pills, right?"

Shuichi went and got the pills in question, put them in a pill cup, and presented them to Eiri along with a glass of water. "Here, take these," he said. "If you give me any more grief about it, I'm buying those one-a-day pill dispensers for you and putting all your pills in there. Then you can pretend that you're old and falling apart."

Eiri snorted. "I am falling apart. And I am older than you. I'll always be older than you."

Shuichi laughed and waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah, Grandpa. For someone who's falling apart, you manage to screw me into the mattress without any problem."

Eiri sighed, suddenly serious. "Really, doesn't it bother you that I have to take so many damn pills that aren't prescriptions?"

"Nah, not really, if they're gonna help."

"You really think they do? Because I'm not sure they do anything more than make money for other people."

"Cynic," Shuichi observed.

Eiri pulled his coffee mug toward him and took another sip. Then he lit up another cigarette.

"Hey, Eiri?" Shuichi said. "Maybe the point of the pills is to make up for all the unhealthy things you do otherwise."

That remark earned him a smack on his backside. "Tch."

Shuichi threw his backpack over his shoulder, gave Eiri a kiss, and ran out the door, saying, "See you later!"

Eiri sat and stared into his coffee cup. He knew his doctor meant well, and it wasn't like he couldn't afford them, but he mostly took supplements such as the CoQ10, B complex, and Wada calcium pills to make Shuichi happy, so he wouldn't worry.

He snorted. If he needed to take this many supplements now, how many would he need to take when he was his father's age? That was a truly terrifying thing to contemplate.

He got up from the table and wandered into his office to start another day's work.

* * *

A/N – Per my usual MO, this story is set post-series, when both Eiri and Shuichi have matured a bit.

Thanks to HawkClowd for another awesome beta review.


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